Chapter seven

„Mhhrrrr! Mph! Mph! Uuuhhhmmm!“

Loredana screamed into her gag and thrashed in her bonds, this pulling on Angelique`s toes. The redhead looked around, searching for what did upset her friend that much.

Angelique expected to see the man with a huge bloody knife or the barn being in flames, but instead, she discovered – a mouse.

„Not really“, she thought with annoyment, „is this an old comedy movie?“

She understood that Loredana was frightened – like her - , but at least she tried to keep her senses together and to save a small remainder of dignity, though being stark naked, bound and gagged with her friend`s used underwear.

„Mph!“, she grunted vigorously and gave their combined toe tie an energetic pull.

Loredana kept on flailing and mewing, but finally she had to stop and calm down because she ran out of breath.

Angelique tried to give her sweat-clad friend an assuring look, but suddenly, they heard the sound of steps coming up the ladder.

„Mmmmmpphhh! Uuuhhhhhmmmmm!“, Loredana moaned.

„Nnnngg! Mmmph!“, Angelique uttered.

„Well, I am glad to see you save and sound, too!“

It was the man, again hooded by the mask. Angelique realized that he was wearing dirty and crumpled tuxedo trousers and a white shirt together with a bow tie. Again, he carried his sports bag in his left.

„It`s time for you to leave this inhospitable place. Just behave and I promise you an improvement both in transport conditions and the way you are stowed.“

Baker ignored the girl`s muffled pleading and took a dog`s collar that he fixed around Angelique`s neck. It was attached to a leash, about three yards in length.

„Mph?“

„This is neither a special fetish nor another humiliation. It`s just that, before entering the car, you might want to relieve yourself. If you wear this, I can allow you to hide in the bushes, as long as I can see your head.“

When he was working on her wrist cuffs, Angelique couldn`t help feeling a bit relieved about the man`s slightly humiliating but practical solution for that special problem.

Baker had loosened her right wrist and assisted the girl to stand up before he cuffed her wrists behind her back again. Then, he loosened her toe ties, this causing Loredana to wildly flail with her now unbound legs. Angelique tried to kick Baker, but he anticipated the attack and just dodged, causing the nude woman to stumble.

„Please, stop this or you will not like the consequences.“

Baker hadn`t raised his voice or showed a bit of an emotion, but something told Angelique that she indeed wanted to avoid the „consequences“.

With her hands cuffed behind her back, climbing down the ladder was quite a difficult task, but by leaning towards the ladder and with a little help from the man, Angelique managed to reach the ground unharmed.

After a short trip to the bushes, Baker forced her to stand beside the car. Angelique desperately looked for someone to see her, but she could only notice fields, trees and a village some three miles away in the dusk`s light.

„Mmmmphhh!“

Angelique protested into her gag when Baker threaded the leash dangling between her breasts between her legs and over the short chain of her handcuffs.She bucked and squirmed, but Baker tightened the rope and adjusted it until the leash was placed snug over her crotch and her wrists wer bound to her back. Then, he bent down and tied her ankles with the remainder of the leather band.

Angelique found out she had to keep still if she wanted to avoid slipping and getting in contact witht the path`s gravel.

Now, he put a tight beige silk hood over the girl`s head. It blocked all her sight, but, after some panting, Angelique realized that the hood did hardly block her breathing.

Now, Baker put a long coat over the bound girl and buttoned it close. After he had placed a wig on the girl`s head, she looked quite unsuspicious from the distance.

Baker took the girl by her shoulder and forced her to sit down on the back seat. Angelique moaned and squirmed for sitting meant bending her legs, of course. But the sitting position put even more strain to the leather rope between her legs, since it was connected to her ankles. Baker ignored the girl`s uneasiness, fastened the seat belt and said:

„Please, do not try to get free, Lili. You would not get far anyway and I would have to be rude to Loredana if you do not behave.“

So, the naked, bound, gagged and blindfolded Angelique just tried to adjust her inconvenient position whilst she waited for the man`s return. She did not have to wait for long: after a few minutes, some moaning and rustling told her that Loredana was seated beside her, obviously bound and gagged the way she was.

Once the girls were restrained, Baker took off the mask and took another sports bag from the boot. It contained some fresh clothes and some toiletry. Baker changed into a blue jeans and a white T-shirt after he had washed himself as thoroughly as possible, using water from a bottle and some towelettes. With an electric razor, he removed the menjou. When he again looked presentable, he checked the bonds of his bound, gagged and hooded captives once more, then, he drove off to the new hideout he had discovered.

***

Whilst the police was still searching the building and the garden, the ladies held an improvised powwow in Elodie`s living room. The blonde millionaire had been freed some 20 minutes after Baker had left her. A police doctor had checked her, but except for slight marks from the zip ties, she was unharmed. Now, she was wearing a bathrobe, sipped from her tea mug and filled the role of the poor survivor quite theatrically.

Janine and Sandra had avoided to sit besides. The police commissioner was wearing a light summer dress Sandra had organized for her from her own wardrobe. Since Sandra was quite buxom, this dress was fitting a bit loose, but it was still better than the rest of Sandra`s clothing. Underneath, Janine still wore Helena`s bra and panties, since the situation hadn`t given her time to change.

She was still angry about Sandra`s behaviour before freeing her, but now, this personal feelings had to wait.

„So, not even this place is save! 20 men were not able to protect this mansion!“, Elodie fumed, rubbing her wrists ostendatively.

„At least, no severe danger has been committed“, Tiffaine said. „Except for the assault on you, the intruder was not able to get his hands on anyone – especially on Babette.“

The named shuddered from the thought of how close the intruding man had come to her.

„Are you sure it was not just a madman or a terrorist, anyway?“, Britta asked.

Tiffaine sighed: „A terrorist would have made sure that people would get hurt, but we only have some people who suffered some minor bruises from the stampede. And a madman would not have been able to run away from us and the security guards. Besides – this man showed some of the opus moderandi of the man we are waiting for.“

She looked at Elodie who grimassed when the French policewoman reminded her that she had been gagged with her own panties. The millionaire straightened:

„Well, I won`t wait here for this man to try another attack. Me and Babette will leave!“

Mireille frowned: „You mean, you want to present yourself on the streets? Or are you talking about protective custody.“

For the first time, Babette spoke:

„Some hours ago, I received a message that the French Ministry of Culture offers me one million € as a finder`s reward for the jewelry. It`s not as much as I have expected, but it`s still a lot of money and I am in no state to further negotiate. Elodie and I will go to – where I have been hiding the box and then, we will hand it to the officials. Once I have gotten my reward, we will do a long luxury trip around the world. We are quite sure that once the jewelry is in the hands of the Ministry of Culture, this burglar will stop haunting us. After all, he is not interested in just stealing money.“

Elodie continued: „Of course, we would be glad if some of you would accompany us. We will of course travel first class.“

The idea provided some advantages, and so, after some discussion, the women agreed upon Janine staying in Strassbourg to find Helena – or the two kidnapping victims. Britta and Martina would assist her, since their profession enabled them to do some more informal research. The private investigators agreed after Elodie offered them a two week`s payment in advance.

The other policewomen would accompany Elodie and Babette. Janine had insisted that Sandra should participate in that mission, too. She said that it was because it still was an example of French-German cooperation, but both Germans knew the real reason was that Janine wanted to get rid of Sandra, at least for some days. Sandra had exchanged a long look with Janine, but since she still was her superior, she obeyed without a single word of protest. Besides, a short holiday trip to France didn`t sound too bad.

„Well, we should start at once, since now, we have the advantage that right now the burglar`s hiding somewhere and can`t observe us. If we take the van, we don`t need a second car.“

„Let`s go! Don`t bother packing something, I have my black American Express card with me“, Elodie said.

So, the women left, followed by Britta, Martina and Janine who wanted to stay at the flat that acted as the investigator`s home and office, since Janine did not want to involve more members of the German police until she had had at least a partial success. She would just phone her substitute, feign an illness and so she would have the few days off she needed.

Hideki, who had been hiding under the couch all the time, let out a breath of relief. He had overheard the whole conversation. This was indeed a great change in the situation! He quickly sent a message to Baker. Now, after all this work to get inside unsen, all he had to do was getting out unseen, too.

***

„Great news. Meet me at the hotel asap.“

Baker frowned. It had taken them quite an effort to get Hideki inside and now, he was already gone? He could imagine Hideki had somehow overpowered Babette and now was on the run, followed by half of the French police.

But he hardly had an alternative towards following Hideki`s cryptic order, and his captives were securely stowed for the moment.

The last afternoon, Baker had done a walk at the Rhine`s shore and discovered a little yacht harbour. Actually, Strassbourg provided several places where hobby sailors could moor their yachts and dinghies. This one was a bit shabby and there were only a few small boats at the jetties. One of these boats, as Baker could tell from it`s condition, had not been visited by it`s owner for weeks. It was only some 15 feet in length, but it provided a small cabin. He just hoped the owner would stay away for another day or so.

He had stopped his car as close as possible and, one by one, had brought Loredana and Angelique aboard unseen. Once inside the cabin, he had taken the coats and hoods from his captives.

„Mph!“

Angelique showed some defiance, but she remained calm.

Loredana was too frightened to utter any protest. Baker reached for his bag and took a bottle of water and some fruits.

„If you promise to stay quiet, we can have supper now. I have chosen something light, for you have to stay here for a while before I can get you to a more luxurious place.“

He peeled the tape from Loredanas mouth and helped her to get the big nerf ball, wrapped in Angelique`s panties, from her mouth. The blonde panted and coughed and greedily drank the offered water. She refused the offered banana and tried to talk, so Baker once again stuffed her mouth with the gag and taped her mouth shut, again doing 12 rounds around her head.

„Mhhhrrrr! Mmmmpphhh!“

„I told you to behave“, Baker said and once again hooded the girl. Then, he ungagged Angelique who gratefully drank, too. In opposition to her friend, she ate a banana and an apple and accepted being gagged again without putting up resistance.

When he had taped her mouth and hooded her, Baker prepared them for the next hours. Since it was at the boat`s bow, the cabin was formed triangular and the interior ony consisted of two upholstered benches – and a small folding table, resting on a metal post between them.

Baker put the upholstery from the benches and laid it on the floor. Then, he loosened Loredana`s legs and, using the leash, he forced the naked, bound and gagged girl to lie on her right side, her navel touching the post. He took the leash and threaded it over the post and between Loredana`s legs before once again pulling it over the chain of her handcuffs. He pulled out the slack.

„Mhhmmmph Uuuhmmm!“

Loredana definitely did not enjoy the leather band tightening between her legs once more, but Baker pulled the leash tight before tying the bent legs of the girl with it. Now, Loredana was hogtied and attached to the post, unable to move in a way that would alert someone outside.

He tied Angelique to the other side, but turned her to her right side, too, bringing the girls`s hooded heads close to the other`s pussy. Both squirmed weakly, but Baker ignored their muffled sreams and left the cabin, carefully closing the lid.

Normally, the little yacht harbour was totally abandoned at this time of the day, but this time, there was someone who had watched Baker carrying two large, slightly squirming bundles to a little boat.

Helena did not beliefe her eyes. She had walked to the city center, hoping to find a place for the night. When she had seen the little harbour, too, she had thought that it would be easy to break into one of the boats and to spend the night there. She had just entered one of the bigger yachts, when she saw the man carrying his strange load.

Immediately after Baker had gone, Helena went over and took a look into the cabin. It was dark, but she could see the nude forms of two bound and gagged women, tied to the table`s post and lying on their sides. Helena gasped. This could not be - ! But indeed, she could tell from the hooded girl`s buxom forms that these were Loredana and Angelique. First, Helena was totally perplexed: She remembered too well that she had stored the girls some two miles away in an abandoned cellar! But obviously, someone else was trying to play some foul game, including these girls, too. Helena was dismayed, but then, she relaxed and smiled. By kidnapping her victims and putting them here, where she was waiting just ten yards away, her unknown concurrent had offered quite a service to her.

„So, here I am, back in the game!“

Helena went back to „her“ boat. Whilst the owner of the ship the damsels were on had taken the engine with him, she remembered a small outboard engine lying inside the other boat. It was a small engine, offering some five hp. But it weighted only some 30 pounds, this enabling Helena to carry it to the other boat and fix it at the stern. In addition, it could be started by pulling a string and she didn`t need a key.

Carefully looking at the empty shore, Helena took a fuel can with her and loosened the ropes holding the boat to the jetty. By pushing against the adjacent boats, Helena managed to clear the boat and to rech the open river. There, she started the engine. When it came to life, the boat slowly went on. Helena knew that she was only as fast as a pedestrian, but now, she could get some distance between her and the local police. In addition, she once again had two valuable trumps in that peculiar game.

***

When Baker entered the hotel room, he was somehow prepared to find a bound and gagged Babette lying on the bed, but only Hideki expected him, somehow in high spirits. Quickly, he told Baker about the latest developments. The former SAS man now was overwhelmed, too.

„You mean, right now, Babette fetches the jewels whilst we are sitting here? Quick, we have to find them, somehow!“

Hideki smiled enigmaticly, pointing at his laptop:

„As you know, the girls wanted to take the van. Since it belongs to Elodie, it`s a modern van, equipped with all kind of luxury and modern techniques – like a navigation system, for example. Navigation systems are in contact with a satellite, via a coded signal, of course. But once you know the code, you can follow the signal.“

Baker smiled: „Some call it computer science, some call it magic! So, you mean-?“

Hideki turned the laptop towards Baker. On the display, he could see a street map, just like those in most navigation systems. An arrow told the driver to take the next exit and it said that it was still 53,7 kilometres to Nancy. Hideki smiled proudly:

„That`s the same display that is shown at the van`s system. So, all we have to do is follow their route.“

Baker rose: „If we start now, we can be at Nancy in two hours!“

Hideki smiled: „The adress they are heading towards is the Nancy Hilton. I doubt Babette has hidden the box there. I assume they will stay there for the night, have some sleep and perhaps do some shopping before they continue their trip tomorrow.“

Baker sat down again and padded his friend`s shoulder.

„So, there are only two things to do now – fetching the girls and a short visit to Janine and the two private investigators.“

Hideki seemed blankly: „Fetching the girls, I understand. But why visiting the others? They are neither of interest for getting the jewels nor they are between us and Loredana.“

Baker took a deep breath, because, what he had to say now was only partially worthy of a professional.

„First, as you told me, Janine has taken a few days off. She has acted like this before. Going her own way, telling nobody where she is and what she is doing – and presenting at least one felon after coming back. Obviously, she still acts this way, although by now, she is a police commissioner. Their superiors don`t like her wilfulness, but as long as she is successful, they look somewhere else when she`s bending the law once more.
So, what I am trying to tell you, if we can turn her off, there will be noone who hunts for us, at least in Kehl. This special abduction case is her case and so, if we get rid of her, we will have at least two days without being persecuted.“

Hideki did not seem convinced at all:

„But, if we just follow the van and grab the jewels, we don`t need to go back to Strassbourg. We can hide somewhere far, far away from here and don`t have to care about that woman. Is there something else you would like to tell me?“

Baker went for the fridge and got two bottles of coke. He would have preferred beer, but they had to stay wake and alert. He opened both bottles, handed one over to Hideki and started to tell:

„Some six years ago, I was a young SAS agent. Young, but quite successful nevertheless. We were hunting down a terrorist who had managed to flee from Britain and who was hiding in Germany – in Kehl, to be exactly. Here, I prepared a trap for this man. We knew he had a girlfriend in the city and I was waiting for him at her place. And finally, after two days, I was able to overpower him. An overwhelming victory – the terrorist caught and noone even wounded.“

Hideki frowned: „But what-“

Baker continued: „The only problem was that we acted without telling the German authorities before. And so, they were a bit annoyed. And especially a young inspector, who was after that terrorist by herself, was quite pissed that she did not get the laurels. You may guess about whom I am talking.“

„Janine.“

„Janine. She had gotten my name from one of the superiors and insisted on me getting punished by German law. She even used the terrorist`s girlfriend to file charges against me because of kidnapping. Meanwhile, some of my valued colleagues took the opportunity to put some other irregularies within the SAS in my shoes. And so, I found myself accused of breaking enough laws to spend the next 20 years in prison.“

„But you were innocent?“, Hideki asked.

„In a service like the SAS, noone is completely innocent. But hey took the opportunity to blame me for any irregularies during the last years, taking me as a scapegoat for the whole service. And that`s why I am now officially a dead man and do a living by stealing precious jewelry.“

„Oh yeah, a boring life, full of hardships“, Hideki said ironically.

Baker grinned weakly: „I didn`t say I completely hate my new life. But, believe it or not, once I was a loyal citizen, keen on serving my country and to defend the peace. Now, I am just a mercenary, working for the highest bidder. I am lacking something in my life, and since I can`t get it back in the forseeable future, I just want a little revenge on Janine.“

Hideki nodded. If he would not understand about the meaning of loyalty, he would not have been her right now.

„You want to – punish her?“

Baker now smiled: „Yes, but I am not intended to kill or hurt her   - except for hurting her dignity a bit. But now, let`s fetch the girls, we have a lot of work to do!“

***

„Come on, Lili, you can do it“, Angelique assured herself.

When the man had left, both girls had started squirming and moaning. Angelique felt her forehead pushing against something soft.

„Mhhmmpph!“

When something rubbed against her pubic mound, Angelique realized with horror that the soft thing pressing against her forehead was Loredana`s pelvis. Obviously, they had been tied in a way that their heads were close to each other`s private parts.

Angelique mewed into her gag and twitched back as far as her stringent ties allowed her to do. Suddenly, she felt the boat moving.

„Mmmph! Uuuhhmmmph!“

„Mph! Mph! Mph!“, Loredana joined in.

The boat moved silently, then, the blindfolded girls heard the sound of an engine and their journey began, the boat moving steadily in the rhythm of the waves.

„Obviously, he has changed his plans“, she thought.

Forced to calm down, she started to examine her bonds. First, she tried to wriggle the hood from her head, but that only caused her head to touch Loredana`s pussy, followed by an indignant moan from her friend. Now, Angelique concentrated on her ankle ties.

The end of the leather leash that secured her to the post, cut in between her legs and kept her hogtied was wrapped around her ankles several times and knotted off. The knots were tight and there were several of them, but Angelique just persisted the leash rubbing against her pussy and her fingers becoming numb.

„Mmmph!“

Finally, she was able to undo the last knot and to free her ankles. With a sigh of relief, the girl stretched her legs and felt the leash stopping to chaff her private parts.

Angelique sat up and brought her still cuffed arms to her front. She took off the hood, unwrapped the tape sealing her mouth shut and  worked the big, totally soaked gag from her mouth.

After some panting, she took the hood from Loredana`s head.

„Mhhmmmm! Uuuhhhmmmmm!“

„Sht! I will free you as fast as I can, but we have to be quiet, do you understand?“, she hissed.

„Mhmm!“

Loredana nodded and calmed down, allowing Angelique to work on her ties and gag. Once she was free except for the handcuffs, too, she asked anxiously:

„What shall we do now, Lili?“

„Dunno. The portholes are too narrow for a person to pass, so, I am afraid the only way out is that way.“

She pointed at the lid of the cabin. Behind it, as they knew, was their kidnapper. The man was unaware of their success in becoming free, but he had a gun and with their hands still cuffed, they would be no match for him, even if they attacked him by surprise.

Angelique hissed: „He will have to stop, sooner or later. He will have to get fuel, or food, or he will have to wait at a floodgate. Let me see if I can spy through the lid. If I see him leaving the boat, we may alert someone.“

Loredana didn`t seem confident, but Angelique crouched at the lid and looked through a small gap in the lid`s wood. She gasped, barely able to omit a shriek:

„It`s not that man, it`s that mean Helena!“

***

When Baker and Hideki reached the yacht harbour, they were more than a bit perplexed to find a gap between two other boats where Baker had expected their boat to be.

„What the hell?“, he snarled.

Hideki looked around.

„But, if they got free somehow, why have they left by boat? Why haven`t they just alerted the police, wether they were stark naked or not?“

Baker, who was experienced in handling unsuspected turns of events, tried to roughly analyze the situation.

„I don`t think they went on a boat trip voluntarily. Someone must have taken them with him – or her.“

Hideki understood: „You think it was Helena?“

Baker nodded: „I just can`t imagine that some other kidnappers or white slavers just approached here and took the opportunity to make some profit. That would be too much of a coincidence. But if Janine had found them, she would have prepared a trap for me instead of taking the boat away. Obviously, Helena managed to get away from the mansion. Maybe, our little visit enabled her to leave unseen. Besides, this harbour is only some 500 yards away from Elodie`s mansion and it`s quite an obvious place to hide for a night or so. Actually, that`s why I have chosen it.“

„Think twice, choose wise“, Hideki said sardonically.

Baker looked him straight in the eyes.

„Ah, Mr. let`s-start-an-abduction-without-a-plan is trying to tell me that I am just as much an idiot as he is. Well, we can discuss this later, now, we have to follow them.“

Hideki wanted to run for the car, but Baker stopped him.

„We can`t track a small boat without any position lights at night – at least not if we are watching from the shore. Anyway, since the boat is very small and the flow`s quite strong, I consider they have chosen to sail downriver. I hope you know how to sail a boat?“

„When I was 14, I owned a rubber dinghy“, Hideki said.

„Well, let`s at least hope you can swim. Quickly, keep cave whilst I select a decent boat!“

***